CID tapped my telephone calls during 2018 /19

• CID has the Israeli developed Pegasus spyware to tap WhatsApp
• The CID had not obtained a court order to do so and pointed out that the CID had violated his privileges and freedom of speech

 By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera   

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday alleged that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had listened to his telephone conversations during 2018 and 2019.  

Raising a privilege issue in Parliament he said that it was a violation of his privileges as a Parliamentarian and requested the Speaker to take necessary action with regard to the incident.  The MP said he had been summoned to the CID over misappropriation of funds during his tenure as the Minister of Megapolis and Western Province Development and that he got to know during the questioning that they had listened to his telephone conversations.   
He said the CID had not obtained a court order to do so and pointed out that the CID had violated his privileges and freedom of speech.   

The MP said the mobile service provider had also violated his privileges by providing details of his telephone conversations to the CID and requested the speaker to summon CID heads and mobile service service providers before the privilege committee.   

He said his conversations had taken place through Whatsapp and said Whatsapp conversation cannot be listened to without special technology. “Investigation should be conducted as to how the Whatsapp conversations were tapped. It was reported that telephone conversations of the French President and Opposition Leader of India had been tapped. We want to know whether the CID was in possession of the Pegasus spyware developed by Israel,” he said. 

• The mobile service provider had also violated his privileges by providing details of his telephone conversations to the CID